WEBVTT DAVID: WMTW NEWS 8 AND OURPARENT COMPANY HEARST TELEVISIONARE EMBARKING ON A YEAR-LONGPROJECT AIMED AT COMBATING THEHEROIN AND OPIOID CRISIS.THIS INITIATIVE, CALLED STATE OFADDICTION, WILL FOCUS ON THEDRUG CRISIS FROM ALL ANGLES, BUTMOST IMPORTANTLY, WE WILLCONTINUE TO SHOW HOW THISEPIDEMIC IS IMPACTING MAINER>> LOSS OF A CHILD IS INANYTHING YOU GET OVER.DAVID:DRUG OVERDOSES AREKILLING MORE AMERICANS THAN CARACCIDENTS, WITH 91 OPIOIDOVERDOSES A DAY, ACCORDING TOTHE CDC.HERE IN MAINE, THE ATTORNEYGENERAL'S OFFICE ESTIMATES ONEMAINER DIES A DAY.STEVE COTREAU IS THE PROGRAMMANAGER AT THE PORTLAND RECOVERYCOMMUNITY CENTER, ANORGANIZATION AIMED AT GETTINGPEOPLE HELP.FOUR YEARS AGO, THEY HAD ABOUT10,000 VISITS.TODAY, IT'S 40,000.>> THE MORE WE TALK ABOUT IT,HOPEFULLY THAT WILL END UPRESULTING IN ACTION.DAVID:EXPECT TO SEE STATE OFADDICTION STORIES SEVERAL TIMESA MONTH, WE WILL ALSO BE HOSTINGFACEBOOK LIVE SESSIONS,CONNECTING MAINERS WITH EXPERTS.IT'S PART A COMMITMENT FROMWMTW'S PARENT COMPANY, HEARSTTELEVISION AND THE PARTNERSHIPFOR DRUG-FREE KIDS.>> CHANNEL 8 WAS PROBABLY THEFIRST THAT I SAW LOCALLY TOREALLY EMBRACE APPROPRIATELANGUAGE AND REALLY HUMANIZE THESTORY.IT IS A HUMAN STORY, WE ARETALKING ABOUT PEOPLE.DAVID: WE'RE HERE TO TELL YOURSTORIES AND WE WANT TO HEAR FROMYOU.YOU CAN EMAIL US DIRECTLY ATWMTW AT WMTW.COM.ALL OF US HERE AT WMTW NEWS 8LOOK FORWARD TO BREAKING THESTIGMA, AND HELPING OURCOMMUNITIES.

Last year, WMTW News 8 brought viewers a hour-long "Chronicle" special program about the epidemic.

"Many Hearst Television stations have been focused on this national crisis for the past few years," Jordan Wertlieb, president of Hearst Television, said. "Now, we will be expanding our efforts and devoting even more time and resources across our company to help make a difference in the communities we serve."

Drug overdoses involving heroin and opioids are killing more Americans per day than car accidents with 91 deaths per day, the CDC reported.

About one Mainer per day is dying amid the epidemic, the Maine Attorney General’s Office estimated.

Maine overdose deaths are expected to set a record in 2016. The number of overdose deaths reported through the end of September surpassed the total for 2015, the office said. There were 286 overdose deaths recorded through Sept. 30, 2016. There were 272 for 2015.

"The more we talk about it, hopefully, that will end up with results and action,” Steve Cotreau, the program manager at the Portland Recovery Community Center, said.